Successful businesses thrive on branding – Tigidam

March 4, 2013 : Simon Ejembi

Perez Tigidam

Perez Tigidam is the Chief Executive Officer, Arden and Newton Brand Management Company. He tells SIMON EJEMBI the importance of branding, some mistakes people make and how small businesses can build great brands.

Importance of branding to organisations

All organisational existence rises and falls on branding. Branding is the life and soul of any business that craves for sustainable growth and long term success. It gives an organisation clear expression of its purpose and how to successfully express such purpose in a cluttered market space of similar goods or services. Beyond the external expressions people see in the form of identity, branding starts from the very process of conceptualisation, it helps the organisation answer such questions such as “WHAT, WHY, HOW, WHEN, WHERE? Based on these questions, during my brand mapping sessions, I love to tell my clients that the branding is in the thinking. If the thinking at this stage goes wrong, the product or service will go wrong leading to the death of such an organisation.

Branding gives an organisation strategic direction and focus; it is a navigational tool in the hands of an entrepreneur. According to Clamor Gieske of the British Brands Group, ‘brands ensure a competitive economy, ensure businesses are accountable for their actions and also help businesses cross geographic and cultural borders’. Where a free market system exists, supply must meet demands. Sellers must go to the market and it is through their brands they go to the market. An organisation’s brand provides the means of competition by allowing those in the market to distinguish one competitor from another.

The importance of branding cannot be overemphasised and I really do think this is the time for Nigerian/African organisations to begin to invest heavily in building valuable business and service brands across the continent. In the global scheme of things, there is a shift and Africa is meant to play a pivotal role in this economic disruption. Unfortunately it seems African businesses are not coming up to speed with the recent invasion of African economies by western businesses. I dare say, if we remain in this state of lax, we might be going back to history where our teachers told us about the scramble and partitioning of Africa.

Attitude of Nigerian business owners to branding

One thing I have observed over the few years of my practise as a brand strategist is the fact that there is an unconscious and overt lack of ambition and quest in most Nigerian businesses. Most businesses exist for subsistence purposes thus branding is the last thing to be worried about for most. A typical Nigerian business will be worried about money; money seems to be the only factor for success to most. Money doesn’t make ideas work, ideas put money to work and branding is about carefully crafted ideas. What I think most businesses should understand is the fact that branding will strategically position you, help define your product or service and create demand even before you launch in the market. I know a few Nigerian businesses that ideas are working for and not their bank balances. You see, you speak with some business owners most times about branding and the response you get is, ‘why should I be worried about logo design?’ to most, branding is logo design and it takes an extra effort to make most businesses understand that branding is about getting strategy right, branding is about helping them understand the market they are in and how to Zig when their competitiors Zag. If a business is struggling, it can only take fixes at the level of strategy to get things right, it is at the domain of strategy that branding resides.

A dimension of branding which most people know is the issue of creating a perception in the minds of the consumers we intend to lure, this works well for most businesses these days who at a very minimal fee could get a creative young man to design their communications collateral with all manner of dexterity, which in most cases will serve its intent of attracting. But take a step further into actual transactions and you discover that most business owners are lackadaisical about service delivery which is one of the quickest routes to eroding a brand.

Determining a strong brand

The strength of a brand is determined in the market place over a period of time. Consistency in experience delivery is the most potent factor in determining the strength of a brand. How do we determine if Coca-Cola is a strong brand or if GTB is a strong brand? Check the yearly rating, they are consistent in doing something, that consistency forms the core of the brand story they tell; that consistency buys them loyalty and equity in the market place.

Building a great brand

I think I said a bit of that in the last question. Branding is at the intersection point of promise and expectation. Promise on the part of the business owner and expectation on the part of the consumer. A brand is not built from conception; it is formed over time from consistently meeting and even going beyond the expectation of the consumer.

Small businesses and professional help

Every business does need the services of a professional but in most cases depending on a business’s financial capability they may not be able to afford the services of professional at the conception stage but along the line of growth, they should seek professional guidance. For small business start-ups, there are a plethora of free resources out there, almost every bookshop these days has a book or two on branding, there are resources online also available for free.

Knowing when it’s time to rebrand

In every industry, disruption is a given. It must come at one point or the other and this is why the word innovation has become the most commonly used word in the business world. Who would have said that Sony will no longer be the “object of desire” in the mobile phone market? Who would have imagined that some of our children will be wondering what a cassette player is? Rebranding is not necessarily the answer. Brands can live beyond their time by innovating on their brand experience delivery. How do they innovate? By trend spotting, tapping into emerging technology, cultures etc.

Major branding mistakes people make

One very obvious mistake I have discovered is the fact that most people and even majority of the practitioners think that there could be a template approach to branding and brand management. Disruptions are happening every spit second, demographics are evolving by the minute these days and what works for one will not work for the other, what worked yesterday night by 11pm might not work by 7am the following morning. Every brand has its own life and soul distinct from any other brands even in the same industry.

Columnists

"Mr Orubebe, you are former minister of the Federal Republic, you are a statesman in your own right and you must be careful about what you say and about the allegations or accusations that you make and certainly you must be careful about your public conducts."

INEC's Chairman, Attairu Jega cautioning Orubebe over his conduct during the release of the Presidential election results.